Device for launching a vessel

ABSTRACT

A plurality of elongated rods connecting a ship carrying slide frame to a chuteway. The rods are secured to the sides of the slide frame and chuteway through hinged turnbuckles, and at least one of the turnbuckles for each rod has a necked-down portion that houses an explosive charge. When the ship is to be launched all of the explosive charges are simultaneously detonated, thereby releasing the frame to slide down the chuteway into the water.

llnited States Patent [72] Inventor Jan Anthonle VIII der We! [56] References Cited kk l nds UNITED STA rFs PA w N'IS {21] P 1.339.293 5/1920 Sjoberg 61/67 [22] 2 357 494 9/1944 Basile 61/67 2 39s 0oo 2/[946 Reynolds 0! al 151/67 [73] Assignee Verolme Mloehbrlek Usselmonde N.V. 2'400'523 5/1946 Amer ll/67 Rotterdam, Netherhnds T [32] Priority Dec. 4, 1968 Primary Examiner-J. Karl Hell {331 Nau u Attorney-Sughrue, Rothwellv Minn [inn & Macpeak [3 1] 68-17397 ABSTRACT: A plurality of elongated rods connecting a ship [54] c A VESSEL carrying slide frame to a chuteway The rods are secured to the sides of the slide frame and chuteway through hlnged tum- [52] US. Cl 6l/6'7, buckles, and at least one of the tumhuckles for ench rod has a 2l4/l2 necked-down portion that houses an CXPIOSIVC charge. When [51] lnLCl. o. B63c 3/10 the ship is to be launched all of the exploslve charges are [$0] FleldoISeu-ch 61/67; simultaneously detonated, thereby releasing the Frame to slide 214/1244 down the chuteway into the water DEVICE FOR LAUNCHING A VESSEL This invention relates to a device assembled or adapted to be assembled to a slipway for the launching of a vessel while use is being made of one or more stationary chuteways, on which rests a slide frame or cradle, extending at least along a considerable part of the length of the vessel.

The usual devices for the launching of ships present disadvantages, which will play an important part as the ships to be launched become bigger and heavier. The usual latch bars, known e.g. from US. Pat. 1,339,293, would then become very heavy and the ship tends to creep over the latch bar. Moreover, near the latch bar much higher forces would have to be taken up by the slipway, which puts high demands upon the concrete structure thereof. The chuteways consist of sections, which cannot mutually transmit any or hardly any pulling forces, but only pushing forces while those sections are being pressed together. This pleads for placing the latch bar(s) at the bottom of the slipway, but this results locally in too high surface stresses during the launching.

Efforts have been made already to use a greater number of, for example two or three latch bars, but this gives great difflculties on account of the danger, that they do not release the ship at exactly the same moment.

This invention aims at improving a device as given in the preamble with regard to the problems mentioned and thereto such a device is according to the invention characterized in that in a greater number of points connections are provided between the slide frame or cradle and the chuteway, which mutually connect those parts along one or two sides and which each with their one end are connected with the chuteway in a point, lying farther from the water than the point, with which they are connected each with their other end to the slide frame, which connections are formed by rods, each carrying an explosive charge, so strong and fixed in such a way that at the explosion this charge breaks the rod on the spot.

By this it is achieved, that after the removal of the stoppings supporting the ship during construction, the ship is being held by a great number of connections between the slide frame and the chuteway, which all at the same moment can be broken by explosion of the charges.

In order to be as sure as possible that all rods break at the same time several measures can be taken, such as the leading of double fuseleads to each charge and/or the use of two charges per rod, for example one at each end.

It deserves special recommendation to carry out this invention in such a way that over a great part of its length, not in the zone of the explosive charge each rod has a smallest cross sec tion, smaller than near the ends and that the section of the rods is thus chosen that a smaller part of the number of rods, e.g. percent, is not able to hold the ship, while the rods consist of relatively soft steel or such like material, so that they can elongate appreciably, if a small number of them, for example through a difference in prestressing, is being more imposed on than other rods. Thus all risks are excluded which may occur if not all explosive charges break their rods at the same moment.

Preferably the invention will be realized in such a way that each rod has a box-shaped part with inner space for taking up the explosive charge and with a locally thinned part around this charge.

Preferably the rods will be connected at both ends to the chuteway and the slide frame against their sides by hinged connections, in such a way that the rods will be stressed purely by tension.

The rods can be screwed with a screw-threaded end on one or both ends into a box-shaped part, which at the other end has inner screw thread for taking up a threaded end on a lug for fixing it to a chuteway or slide frame with at least in one of the box-shaped parts a space between those threaded ends for taking up an explosive charge. Thus the rods can also be made from other material than the box-shaped parts and the lugs,

which offers a very advantageous possibility, which will be discussed later on.

Each rod can carry at one or both ends a turnbuckle, which could be the mentioned box-shaped part, so that at a desired stage all rods can be tensioned, for example to prestress them before the stoppings are being removed and/or to correct the stresses when the stoppings have been removed, so that all the rods are equally loaded.

During the replacement of the stoppings by slide frames, the so-called putting upon grease," the ship will somewhat be displaced. Thereby some rods may be overloaded and others may be underloaded. The overloaded rods will then break and the ship will not be held. To prevent this danger, the rods form long parts of material which is rather easily deformed plastically. These rods form the weakest cross section in the whole device. During the setting of the ship the most heavily charged rods can elongate without coming to a breaking point, till all rods together will have enough stress to hold the ship safely.

The invention will now be further explained with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a top view ofa part of the edge of the slide frame section and of a chuteway section underneath with a connecting rod in between according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sideview of the parts given in FIG. I in top view, with some parts in section, and FIG. 3 shows a side view on a much smaller scale of a whole ship on a slipway with a launching device according to this invention.

The bottom of the ship to be launched marked 1 rests shortly before the launching via a layer 2 of soft filling wood on a slide frame structure 3, which consists of a number of slide sections. This slide frame structure rests on a layer of grease 4, put onto and into a chuteway 5, which rests via a suitable wooden intermediate layer 6 on the slipway. As the slipway to the left in the Figures is higher than to the right, the ship will slip from left to right.

To every section of the chuteway 5 at least one bracket 7 has been fixed, while at some distance from each of those brackets a bracket 8 is fixed to the slide frame. Into these brackets pins 9 and 10 are arranged, around which lugs I1 and 12 respectively of a connecting rod engage. This connecting rod consists of a rod 13 proper and of box-shaped parts 14 and 15, which form the connection of the rod 13 with the lugs 11 and 12. The rod 13 consists of a long smooth cylindrical part and two thickened threaded ends, the dimensions of which have been chosen so that the long smooth part of the rod 13 clearly forms the weakest part of the whole rod. The rod 13 consists of rather soft material, for example normal structural steel. The boxes 14 and 1S consist of considerably stronger material, for example of steel of higher carbon content. The boxes I4 and 15 or one of them can externally have a nonci|- cular cross section, so that they (it) can be easily turned and in the usual way it is possible to use in one and the same bOi one end left-hand and at the other end right-hand screw threads, so that one or both boxes can serve as a turnbuckle.

The box 15 has in the central part a narrowed part 16 formed by a groove in the external surface, and a widened chamber 17 in the inside, so that a rather thin circular cross section remains, which however, has preferably a somewhat larger area or in any case, with regard to choice of material, is somewhat stronger than the cross section of the rod 13 in the long thin part. In the chamber 17 there is an explosive charge not shown, while a detonation lead will be fixed to the explosive charge, for example through the narrow drilled hole 18.

If so desired box 14 can also be provided with such a chamber 17, in which an explosive charge is provided and with a detonation lead leading to it.

The assembling and working of this device are as follows: The ship will, while it still rests on the stoppings, be prepared in the usual way for the launching by the assembling of the slide frame sections and the chuteway sections. In a great number of places along the way or ways thus formed connecting rods 13 are mounted between the slide frame and the chuteways. Depending on the length of the ship and on the question whether one or two parallel chuteways are used, the number of connecting rods can of course vary. This number (e.g. 44 according to FIG. 3 if there are two parallel chuteways with rods to both sides) could, for a large tanker for example be 80. The hinge connections, formed by the pins 9 and I and the lugs 11 and 12, prevent that bending stresses occur in the connecting rod structure. The holes in the lugs 11 and 12 can be carried out so spaciously, that this not only holds for bending moments in the plane of FIG. 2, but also perpendicular thereto.

Now one can bring the connecting rods 13, before the stoppings are taken away, to the desired prestress, while of course depending on various circumstances a desired sequence can be chosen for the assembling of chuteway and slide frame sections and for the mounting and prestressing of the connecting rods. Naturally the explosive charges and the detonation leads will be placed into the boxes l before the assembling of the connecting rods.

When just before the launching the stoppings are released, the connecting rods 13 will bear more stress. Through their rather great length, for example about 70 across the smooth cylindrical part, their relatively small cross section and the soft material, those rods 13 can easily elongate so much that they can follow without difficulty the appearing settings. If so desired, with one of the boxes 14 or is embodied as a turnbuckle, corrections can still be carried out in the appearing stresses and strains.

When all stoppings have been released and the ship has to leave the slipway, the explosive charges in the holes 17 will be brought to explosion. The boxes 15 then will break at their smallest cross section in the grooved part 16 and with the slide frame the ship can slip via the layer of grease 4 from the slipway.

To prevent that difficulties will occur when one or two explosive charges should not detonate, the boxes 14 can be carried out in the same way as the boxes 15 and also be provided with an explosive charge, so that there are two charges per connecting rod and instead thereof or together therewith each explosive charge in a chamber 17 could be provided with two detonating leads, which will both be energized simultaneously.

Moreover, by choice of the detonation leads circuit system one can see to it that. ifa certain ignition does not work well, a set of explosive charges will not detonate, which is situated symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ship, so that no transverse forces or moments will act on the ship.

This as such belongs to the normal means which the expert has at his disposal.

However, this invention provides moreover an extra guarantee against difficulties of nonexplosion of all the explosive charges simultaneously by the carrying out of the connecting rods as described. The relatively small diameter of the smooth part of the connecting rod 13 has been chosen together with its material in such a way that a well-chosen percentage of the total number of connecting rods, for example 20 percent thereof, is not able, without the help of the other connecting rods, to hold the ship on the slipway. This means that the connecting rods after gradual elongation will easily break if in a smaller number of them the explosive charge does not detonate or does not detonate well and the boxes 15 therefor do not break. Here one should bear in mind the fact, that during the setting of the ship when the stoppings are completely or almost completely released a number of those rods l3 will already be elongated so much as to surpass the elasticity limit or proof stress. The number of rods and their thickness is thus chosen, that in spite of this already partial plastic deformation, the ship can be held completely safely by all connecting rods on the slipway when the stoppings have been released.

I claim:

l. A ship launching device for use on a slipway, comprising a plurality of and at least ten connecting rods connecting a slide frame carrying the ship and connected therewith for joint movement in launching to a chuteway, said connecting rods being connected to the slide frame and to the chuteway in side faces thereof, the connection to the slide frame being chosen to the end of the slipway where the ship leaves it on launching than the connection to the chuteway, said connecting rods each having an explosive charge to break said rod, detonating circuit means being provided to detonate the explosive charges of all the connecting rods simultaneously.

2. A device according to claim I, characterized in that each connecting rod across a great part ofits length, not in the zone of the explosive charge has a small cross section, smaller than near the ends and that the cross section of the rods is thus chosen, that a smaller part of the number of rods, for example 20 percent, is not able to hold the ship, while the rods consist of relatively soft material such as soft steel or such like material, so that they can elongate appreciably when a small number of them, for example through a difference in prestressing is being more imposed on than other rods.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the connecting rods have a box-shaped part with inner space for taking up the explosive charge and with a locally thinned part around this explosive charge.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which each connecting rod carries an explosive charge at both ends.

5. A device according to claim I, in which each connecting rod is connected to the chuteway and to the slide frame by hinged connections.

6. A device according to claim 1, said connecting rod having on one or both ends a screw-threaded part with which they are screwed into a box-shaped part which at the other end has inner screw thread for taking up a threaded end on a lug for fixing it to a chuteway or slide frame, with a free space in at least one of the box-shaped parts between those threaded ends for taking up an explosive charge.

7. A device according to claim 1, in which each connecting rod has a turnbuckle at at least one end.

8. A device according to claim 7, a box-shaped part being shaped as a turnbuckle with left-hand internal thread on ont end and right-hand internal thread at its other end, one end engaging an external screw-threaded part on the connecting rod and the other end engaging an external screw-threaded part on a lug for connection to one of the parts: slide frame and chuteway, a space between said internal screw-threaded parts in the box-shaped part taking up an explosive charge. 

1. A ship launching device for use on a slipway, comprising a plurality of and at least ten connecting rods connecting a slide frame carrying the ship and connected therewith for joint movement in launching to a chuteway, said connecting rods being connected to the slide frame and to the chuteway in side faces thereof, the connection to the slide frame being chosen to the end of the slipway where the ship leaves it on launching than the connection to the chuteway, said connecting rods each having an explosive charge to break said rod, detonating circuit means being provided to detonate the explosive charges of all the connecting rods simultaneously.
 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that each connecting rod across a great part of its length, not in the zone of the explosive charge has a small cross section, smaller than near the ends and that the cross section of the rods is thus chosen, that a smaller part of the number of rods, for example 20 percent, is not able to hold the ship, while the rods consist of relatively soft material such as soft steel or such like material, so that they can elongate appreciably when a small number of them, for example through a difference in prestressing is being more imposed on than other rods.
 3. A device according to claim 1, in which the connecting rods have a box-shaped part with inner space for taking up the explosive charge and with a locally thinned part around this explosive charge.
 4. A device according to claim 1, in which each connecting rod carries an explosive charge at both ends.
 5. A device according to claim 1, in which each connecting rod is connected to the chuteway and to the slide frame by hinged connections.
 6. A device according to claim 1, said connecting rod having on one or both ends a screw-threaded part with which they are screwed into a box-shaped part which at the other end has inner screw thread for taking up a threaded end on a lug for fixing it to a chuteway or slide frame, with a free space in at least one of the box-shaped parts between those threaded ends for taking up an explosive charge.
 7. A device according to claim 1, in which each connecting rod has a turnbuckle at at least one end.
 8. A device according to claim 7, a box-shaped part being shaped as a turnbuckle with left-hand internal thread on one end and right-hand internal thread at its other end, one end engaging an external screw-threaded part on the connecting rod and the other end engaging an external screw-threaded part on a lug for connection to one of the parts: slide frame and chuteway, a space between said internal screw-threaded parts in the box-shaped part taking up an explosive charge. 